Roy Lichtenstein

Leo Castelli Gallery, New York
James Corcoran Gallery, Los Angeles
Gagosian Gallery, New York
Private Collection, New York
Lang O'Hara Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

New York, Gagosian Gallery, Roy Lichtenstein Perfect/Imperfect, September - December 2002

This work is in good condition overall. There is scattered evidence of craquelure particularly along the left edge of the canvas and in places in the silver area. There is evidence of impact craquelure at the bottom right and top right corners. There is scattered evidence of handling and wear. There are scattered light abrasions and surface accretions most noticeably along the bottom of the canvas. There is a light 10 inch horizontal abrasion located approximately 12 inches from the bottom and 34 ¼ inches from the left edge. There is a horizontal line across the canvas approximately 36 inches from the top which is a result of the weave of the canvas and inherent to the medium. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

 

Roy Lichtenstein's Imperfect Paintings are an important late series linked to the artist's ongoing conversation with the 20^th century's major artistic movements. In the 1970s, Lichtenstein tackled Cubism, Futurism, and Abstract Expressionism, in each case playing on our surface recognition of the genre while initiating new ideas.  In 1985, he turned his attention to geometric abstraction, creating The Perfect Paintings, a teasing reference to the aesthetic purity of the early modernists.  Lichtenstein created abstract compositions that riffed on the stylistic conventions of artists from Kandinsky to Mondrian, which he then infused with his own signature planes of solid color, diagonal stripes and Benday dots.  The force of the dynamic black lines seems barely contained by the edges of the canvas, creating tension between the power of the line and the restriction of space. 

By extension, in the series that followed, Lichtenstein torqued the lines of the composition so that an angle would project beyond the edge of the canvas, creating an "Imperfection" in the rectilinear shape of the canvas.  The Imperfect Paintings playfully recall the shaped canvases of Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella, but through sheer inventiveness he makes the convention his own, creating a new and visually striking body of work.